Software applications and/or services are commonly offered to consumers in the form of grouped packages or suites, in which two or more such applications are provided. A suite is generally provided at a lower cost than if the individual applications included therein were purchased separately. In addition, a software suite typically includes an assortment of related and/or interoperable application or service components targeted to satisfy the software needs of a particular type of customer, such as small businesses or other types of organizations. Different application suites may thus be provided to satisfy various market needs, where certain segments of software consumers commonly require more than one application or service.
It is common to selectively install different applications of a suite onto one or more interconnected computers. For example, an organization may include several servers physically located at different locations, e.g., one server at a corporate central office, with additional servers located at remote locations. The particular application and/or services that should be installed at each server in the organization may vary as a function of the type of organization and the performance objectives of the administrator that implements the installation.
During one type software installation, a user may be presented with a list that provides several functional descriptions of different installation scenarios from which the user is to select. However, the choices presented may fail to provide a suitable functional definition for the installation based on the customer's objectives as to how the software is to be utilized in the organization. For example, the computer onto which the software is being installed may fall within the functional definitions associated with more than one of the available choices. As a result, a user may be confused as to the appropriate selection for the installation. Moreover, if the user were to select an incorrect option for the installation, one or more components that the user may need at that computer may not be made available for installation, which could require reinstallation. Therefore, it is common for a user to exit a functionality-based setup process and proceed with a custom installation. However, a custom installation typically provides little or no guidance as to what components should be selected for a given type of installation.
Other types of software may provide a limited number of installation choices, such as to implement a complete installation or a minimal installation. The complete installation usually installs all available components onto the user's computer, with little or no tuning to the user's situation. A minimal installation usually installs only those components that are necessary for the software to function properly. Both of these options lack adequate tuning of the installation according to where the software is being installed.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a system and method to help configure a software system during an installation process according to the location of the computer.